Merrick, the Elephant Man

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Behind a rough and disfigured exterior, there was a kind and refined soul in need of help.

This beautiful, big boy came in to Kern County Animal Services May 15th after being bitten by a rattlesnake. Merrick, named after the Elephant Man, was obviously suffering. His constant and gentle whimper hinted at the trauma he had experienced.

His INR was extremely high, which meant that his blood wasn't clotting. This was especially frightening because he was bleeding from several places. This can wreak havoc on internal organs, result in bleeding to death, and is obviously very painful for him. Frozen plasma was used to help reboot his system and hopefully help his blood clot. The Vet spared nothing with him and we were very hopeful he would survive. He was not out of the woods so we were still extremely worried the entire night.

After a harrowing three days, he survived but desperately needed a blood transfusion. Marley's Mutt's took it upon themselves to provide any necessary medical treatment to provide restorative healing- no matter the cost.

A wonderful foster in near Phoenix, AZ took him in to help him recover and train to become his best self. Merrick slowly healed and enjoyed playing with his foster brothers and sisters. Today, his most noticeable facial feature is his smile. He has been adopted by a wonderful family who has changed his name to Bruno.